Taken your Volvo to the track?

Post by **matthew1** » 09 Dec 2008, 13:05

I've never taken my 850, or any car, to a track. Occasionally I've taken very rough timings 0-60mph.

Related: in Europe, do you measure 1/4 mile times like we do in the States?

1337 · Post by **1337** » 21 May 2016, 01:30

Unearthing an ancient post. Yes, I enjoy track driving, and I am lucky to live near three amazing racetracks such as Laguna Seca. I've driven at ~15 non-competitive track days in the last 2-3 years. I have owned various vehicles that were more "track-oriented" than my V70. Just for fun, I'm thinking of doing a lapping day in my 1998 V70 T5M. If I have fun, I'll take the V70 to the track on a more regular basis. Before I take the V70 to its first track day, I'm planning to replace...
- rubber brake lines (Mine are starting to crack. I once witnessed a brake line failure on the track. Luckily, the car was driven by an experienced instructor, and he managed to avoid any damage/injuries. But yikes, I don't want that to be me.)
- coolant hoses (I'd hate to be the rude person who cracks a coolant hose and coats the track in coolant)
- high pressure oil cooler lines (For the same reason)
- tires
- and... to those who drive their Volvos hard, is there any other preventative maintenance that is advisable prior to a track day?

I just want to make sure I'm running a solid stage 0 for the track, as well as fixing any P80-specific issues that can crop up during track driving. I don't plan to do any major race prepping, though that would of course be fun:

c70_lindsay · Post by **c70_lindsay** » 21 May 2016, 03:10

Am I wrong, but I would never take my daily driver on a track. That being said, If I ever were to sell one of the volvos I have owned I would love to put it on a track and drive it like I just stole it. I grew up on a farm and as kids we had a 86 hyundai pony to tear around in. If I recall correctly the thing put out 76hp from the factory, but with rear wheel drive and a 5speed manual on dirt roads, I had way more fun in that car then I ever did in any of my volvos. Volvo's are not fun cars. They're fast and comfortable and safe and that's why I love them. But they're not fun cars.

1337 · Post by **1337** » 21 May 2016, 11:26

Fair point. I once rode in the passenger seat of a P2 V70R driven by an instructor for a few laps on the track. He was really able to hustle it through the corners, though there was no way to prevent it from understeering at the limit. In terms of driving dynamics and seat-of-pants feel, it seemed roughly on par with other big FWD-biased cars like the Audi S6. Not an optimal track instrument, but still a worthwhile vehicle for learning about perfornance driving.

I like to take every car I own to the track at least once. I'd rather learn it's limits in a controlled environment than on a public road in during an emergency maneuver.

I've never personally put a car into a wall on the track, though I am always mentally prepared for that situation.

And... I'm sure I would have a great time thrashing a Hyundai Pony around a track. At one track day, an older guy who was driving his pride-and-joy BMW was telling me that he was taking it easy because he was worried about damaging his car. I had no problem passing him with 1/3 the horsepower in my cheap hatchback. I think I was the one who had more fun that day.